Another day, another call to make, or email to send to our leaders pleading for environmental sanity. Can you spare a few minutes to do your duty as a citizen? What’s that you say? Participate in the process? Show up? Get politically active? Shew, that’s a lot to ask.

The Delaware River Basin Commission recently changed their regulations and added loopholes to allow the approval of up to 20,000 Fracking Wells in the Delaware watershed. This is a reversal of a three year moratorium – now, a small group of Governors will make the call on November 21st.

You can help block this with a phone call or two.

“That the natural gas industry would want to risk the safety of the drinking water for over 15 million Americans is beyond irresponsible and that our elected officials would let them do it is unconscionable,” said Karen Feridun, founder of Berks Gas Truth, a grass roots organization in Berks, County PA.

Five Percent ( 5%) of the American Population gets its drinking water from this River

Look at what 2 guys have done… Josh Fox and Bill McKibben. They are teaming up to send Joe Biden (yup, the Vice President) a message – you’re invited to join them. Please do it now.

Believe me, I know how challenging and discouraging it can be to have to pay attention to so many issues, especially when you’re not getting paid a penny to be a citizen. I’m not asking you to camp out in one of the makeshift “Occupy” sites. As you’ve probably heard, the 1% is pushing back and clearing out those encampments, now with the full force and authority of law enforcement agencies.

It’s time to take the “occupy movement energy” into a whole new strategy: one that moves beyond sit ins, demonstrations and marches – if we don’t we won’t have a thing to complain about when our water is contaminated because of the Halliburton Loophole. The rush to consume more natural gas is out pacing the science- we’re all gonna be fracked, unless we stand up and speak out against ignorance and greed. Is our demand for thermal fuels, as the coal industry likes to call them, so great and so out of control that we have lost our ability to be responsible stewards of our land, air and water – the sacred elements upon which our life depends?

Illustration by Peter and Maria Hoey in Scientific American

Here is the specific action you can take…your voice does matter:

Please call the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) and tell them to vote NO to fracking the Delaware River on the DRBC vote, Nov. 21. Also say that we expect leadership on this issue from Pres. Obama! The ACE, as one of the five commissioners on the DRBC, might hold the deciding vote.

Oh, while you’re at it, in the event you need some catalyst for taking action, watch some of the propaganda from ExxonMobil and demand they tell the truth about the chemicals they pump into the Earth. While you’re watching, remember “cigarettes don’t cause cancer”! Let’s get our heads on straight and require a higher standard. Honesty, fairness and integrity is the rallying cry of the occupy movement.

The oil and gas industries have more financial resources than most countries, (2010 Revenue for EXXONMOBIL $ 383 Billion) allowing nearly unlimited promotional dollars to distort reality. Take a deep breath, and watch as much of this Chesapeake Energy advertisement as you can take… it all sounds so soothing, eh? I’ve tried to embed this URL address from Chesapeake Energy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=73mv-Wl5cgg somehow our collective guardian angels at the Elephant Journal are conspiring to block it. If you want to see it, you’ll have to cut and paste it.

Imagine how these resources could be used to do the right thing and invest in clean, renewable alternatives! Doncha love their final statement regarding compliance with state and federal regulations? Don’t forget, Mr. Cheney wrote most of them with the help of his energy policy advisors.

Now relax with some water music by Paul Collier as you prepare to make your phone calls and send your emails – or enjoy this as a way to recover from any stress you may have encountered along your activist path – protecting our precious Earth. Enjoy the beauty of Havasupai

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About
Bud Wilson

As a student-athlete-activist during the tumultuous era at Harvard University Bud emerged with an interdisciplinary degree combining, child development, innovative education and urban social policy. To recover from academia, he moved to the mountains of Colorado and devoted his energy to hosting professional conferences and seminars in Snowmass Village, followed by a few years working with John Denver's Windstar Foundation. He has lots of stories to share about those formative years living in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Bud continues to consult with many organizations including Newfield Network, Environmental Communications, Inc. and The Living Green Foundation, Next Culture Network, Climate Colorado, The Unified Field Corporation, Regenerative Community Development of Colorado and The Agora Projects.
Bud has 25 years of experience as an awareness & Qi Gong instructor and wilderness guide for Sacred Passage and the Way of Nature. He served as Global Director of Eco-Regional Leadership for The Way of Nature, in May 2011, he co-created and coordinated the first World Nature Quest. More than 35 groups in 17 countries on 5 continents simultaneously communed with the Earth for healing and renewal.
He is the Founder and Director of Deep Nature Journeys where he shares his insights and vast experience in service to others.
His articles have been read by more than 70,000 Elephant Journal Readers
His adult son, daughter and son-in-law are the source of great joy in his life.

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